Gov. Rick Perry today announced the Office of the Governor Economic Development and Tourism division is launching TexasSiteSearch.com, an interactive mapping tool and property database that helps facilitate business expansion and relocation in the state by combining powerful business location research in one location.

"Texas is the best state in the nation to live and do business thanks to our reasonable and predictable regulatory climate, low taxes and skilled workforce," Gov. Perry said. "TexasSiteSearch.com shines a spotlight on the many assets the Lone Star State has to offer, and provides yet another tool to help attract businesses and jobs to the state."

Building upon the familiar Google Maps platform,TexasSiteSearch adds interactive functionality by allowing users to overlay key geographic assets, such as commercial airports, seaports and universities, in unique layers on the map. Additionally, a statewide database of thousands of available commercial and industrial properties provides a representative sample of Texas’ wide range of quality commercial and industrial real estate that can be searched by property type, size and location.

More than 90 percent of initial site selection screening is done on the Internet, making TexasSiteSearch critical to the state’s ongoing economic competitiveness.

"TexasSiteSearch goes far beyond a simple map or listing of available sites and buildings," Texas Economic Development Council President Carlton Schwab said. "It provides the integrated site selection data that businesses need to make decisions, and it draws attention to the unique geographic advantages of Texas."